Long Lost
by EMY3K
Summary: CURRENTLY BEING UPDATED Sequel to Who am I. Jade's longlost protector resurfaces in time to help Elisa and the Gargoyles find a child killer. Crossover with the Pretender.
1. Surprises

Chapter One

Jade Goodman hopped out of the limo, running toward Central Park.

"Last one there's a rotten egg," she yelled to her best friend, Mikey Fletcher.

"Jade, careful of the stitches," her father, Owen Burnett called after her.

Jade had been severely beaten and stabbed. Being half-fey, most of the wounds healed remarkably well. However, she had been stabbed with iron, which all fey were vulnerable to. The stab would take a long time to heal. The event had happened about two and a half weeks ago. Jade would bee getting the stitches out tomorrow after school.

Jade didn't even bother answering her father as the two children were already out of earshot. Owen followed them. He sat on a bench to watch them play. Owen and Jade hadn't even known they were related until three weeks ago. Owen loved to watch his newly found daughter play. Jade's aunt, Fox, and her husband, David Xanatos took their own son Alex out to play.

Jade and Mikey went to play on the swirly-slide. There were about three kids in line in front of them. The kid in front of them, an African American girl around Jade and Mikey's age looked at Jade carefully.

"Do I know you?" the girl asked.

"I don't think so," Jade frowned. "I'm Jade Goodman. This is Mikey Fletcher. We're in fourth grade at Sterling Elementary School."

"Piper Hanson," the raven-haired girl grinned. "I'm in fifth grade at Sterling. Say, aren't you the girl who got suspended on her first day?"

"One in the same," Jade affirmed. "I assure you, I don't usually go around beating people up."

"I heard that you were standing up for a kid who was being bullied," Piper said. "Is that true?"

"Yep," Mikey grinned, gazing at Jade proudly.

"That was a really good thing you did," Piper looked up at the slide. "Oh, it's my turn."

She climbed up to the top of the slide and waited for the kid in front of her to slide down. Once Piper, Jade, and Mikey had taken their turns, the three children went on the swings together.

"Where did you live before here?" Piper's amber eyes glanced at Jade.

"Delaware," Jade hated talking about her past.

Piper didn't seem to notice. "I've lived in Manhattan my entire life. In fact, the apartment I live in now, I was born in."

"That must be weird," Mikey smirked.

"You're telling me," Piper grinned. "I was born Mother's Day. Mom's always reminiscing my birth every Mother's Day."

Jade made a mental note to ask her father what Mother's Day was.

"I was born November third," Mikey added. "I was supposed to be born on Halloween, but I was a few days late."

Jade knew what Halloween was. According to Uncle David, you dressed up and went door to door, dressed in a costume and people gave you candy. Jade wasn't sure what the significance of the event, so she asked her father.

"Halloween comes from All Hallows Eve," Jade was eager for something to say. "The only night the dead were able to walk the Earth. Mexicans would leave treats in a bag outside to appease them. You know, so they wouldn't come in and bother them. That's where trick-or-treated originated from.

Mikey looked at his friend curiously. "Where did you learn that?"

"From Dad," Jade replied honestly. "I'm going to be a ghost tomorrow night. What about you guys?"

"I'm gonna be Spiderman," Mikey replied happily.

"A princess," Piper replied.

"Unless you've already got plans maybe you could come with us tomorrow night," Jade invited.

"Nah," Piper said as she swung back and forth. "I'm going with my little brother and sister. Thanks anyway."

Elisa Maza hummed happily as she drove to the police precinct. Yesterday was her day off, so she and Goliath had gone on a date. She and Goliath had been dating for about a month now, but no one else had known about, with the possible exception of Goliath's daughter, Angela and Jade. Goliath and Elisa had finally told the clan last night that they were an item. They all seemed to accept it without any problems.

Her police partner, Matt Bluestone had taken the week off. Elisa hoped that Captain Chavez would let her be partner-less for the week. It was easier, as the Gargoyles tended to follow her sometimes when she was on duty.

Elisa pulled into the parking lot and almost skipped into the building.

"Elisa," Officer Morgan called to her as she walked past. "The Captain wants a word with you."

Elisa sighed and made her way into her boss' office.

Captain Maria Chavez was seated behind her desk. A tall, dark-haired man with the most soulful eyes Elisa had ever seen was seated in a chair facing the Captain. Elisa sat in the other one.

"Maza," Chavez said as soon as she was seated. "This is Detective Jarod Walker. He transferred from the LAPD a couple days ago. Detective Walker, this is Detective Elisa Maza."

Detective Walker stood up and shook Elisa's hand. "It's a pleasure to meat you."

"Likewise, Detective Walker," Elisa smirked.

"Please call me Jarod," the man smiled. "Detective Walker sounds so formal."

"Maza," Chavez looked at the policewoman. "Jarod will be your partner until Bluestone gets back."

Elisa groaned inwardly.

The two detectives walked out to Elisa's car together.

"Nice car," Jarod commented appreciatively.

"Thanks," Elisa smiled wryly. "I drive."

Jarod laughed as he got in the passenger door. "So, do you prefer being called by your surname of your first name?"

"Elisa will do fine," Elisa buckled in and began to drive.

"So what was Los Angeles like?" Elisa asked curiously.

"Very hot," Jarod grinned. "Lots of earthquakes."

"Was there anything nice about it?" Elisa turned left.

"Of course," Jarod nodded. "Starlets. Stars. California's a great place to visit, but living there is another story entirely. Don't get me wrong. It's nice, but it's always been more of a vacation spot. You know?"

"Yeah," Elisa replied. "We went there when I was a kid. I was seven at the time. What I remember most is how much I wanted to live in Disney Land."

Jarod chuckled. "The first time I ever saw Disney World, I considered changing my occupation so I could live there. And that was only two years ago."

"What kind of vacations did you take as a kid with your family?" Elisa asked.

Jarod's face darkened suddenly. "I didn't. I had a very secluded childhood. I . . . didn't get vacations very often."

"I'm sorry," Elisa didn't know what else to say.

Jarod grinned again. "Ah, that's all in the past. While it's important that we remember our past, what's really vital is the present and future. Don't you agree?"

Elisa was about to reply when images of all the times Fox and Xanatos had used the gargoyles.

"Some things are hard to forget," Elisa said instead. "And forgive."

"Some people never change," Jarod agreed. "Some do. All they need is a chance to prove themselves."

Elisa gave her temporary partner an odd look. "You sound like someone who's been down that road before."

"I have," was Jarod's simple reply.

The two rode the rest of the way in silence.

All and all, it wasn't a bad shift. Together, Jarod and Elisa picked up three criminals, one who they had caught on Jarod's instinct alone.

"He'll be here," Jarod insisted.

"How do you know?" Elisa asked suspiciously.

"I read his profile," Jarod replied. "You know the old saying, 'to catch a thief, you need to think like a thief."

"And you know he's going to be there based on his profile?" Elisa asked sarcastically.

"One thing my . . . mentor taught me was putting myself in the mindset of the criminal. Call it a simulation."

True to Jarod's word, they did catch the criminal there. She rode back to the precinct with her partner in confusion.

"That was incredible," Elisa admitted as as they walked in.

The officers were laughing at some joke.

"Hey, Maza," one called. "Our little mascot is here."

"Mascot?" Jarod asked, confused.

"A friend of mine," Elisa grinned. "I don't think she wants to be a cop when she grows up, but she likes waiting for me here just the same."

"How old is she?" Jarod asked, smiling.

"Where is she?" Elis called to the officer.

"Where else, Maza," the officer laughed. "In your office. I think she's doing homework."

"She's ten," Elisa turned back to Jarod. "She's really adorable. Everyone in the precinct took to her right away. They started calling her our mascot after a while. Would you like to meet her?"

"Love to," Jarod smiled.

Elisa led the way to her office. Jade was seated at her desk, working furiously on something.

"Hey, Elisa," the girl smiled, not looking up. "How was work?"

"Fine," Elisa grinned back. "We caught five bad guys. I'd like you to meet someone. Jarod, this is Jade Goodman. Jade, this is -"

"Jarod?" Jade was staring at the man with a strange mixture of confusion, sadness, happiness and shock.

"Jade?" Jarod stared back with an identical expression.

A/N Jade, Mikey and Piper belong to me. All Gargoyles related characters are property of whoever owns them. Jarod is from a show called _The Pretender_, which is owned by TNT.


	2. Introductions Are in Order . . . Again

Chapter Two

"You two know each other?" Elisa asked in confusion.

She didn't get a response. The two seemed to be lost in their own little world. Jarod just stared at her in shock. Jade did a little more. She ran up to him and hugged him. Jarod picked her up and hugged her back.

"I thought you were dead," Jade's eyes were full of tears. That man with the gun. They told me he shot you. I saw it on the DSL."

"I was," Jarod frowned. "But it wasn't life-threatening. I was told that you were transferred to your creator's home laboratory."

"Lies," Jade hugged the man even tighter. "All lies."

"Let's make a promise not to believe everything the Centre tells us," Jarod smiled.

"Cross my heart," Jade sniffed.

"Hold the phone," Elisa yelled. Jarod and Jade stared at her in surprise, as if they had forgotten she was in the room. "I hate to break up the reunion, but how do you two know each other. Jade's . . . had a very secluded life for ten years."

"Like me," Jarod stared into Elisa's eyes, as if willing her understand.

It didn't work.

"Who are you?" Elisa demanded. "How do you know Jade?"

"My name is Jarod," Jarod put the girl down and looked at her. "Does she know where you come from?"

Jade looked at Elisa. "Remember that quote I told you about? How no one knew of how much I liked it, except for my Protector? Jarod's my protector, Elisa. He named me. The Centre is the name of the lab I grew up in. Jarod grew up there, too. He's a Pretender. A genius that can become anyone he wants to be. He had the gift naturally, and the bad people encouraged the gift."

"So you aren't really a cop," Elisa surmised. "That explains the instinct thing. You do know that it's illegal to impersonate something you aren't."

"But he is," Jade insisted. "Sure he didn't go to a police academy, but he learns fast. He's done all the training necessary. It's not so different than Daddy, really. He's Xanatos' major domo, but I highly doubt he went to business school."

Jarod looked at Jade in surprise. "Daddy? You've met your father. How long have you been out?"

"Almost a month," Jade shrugged.

"A month?!" Jarod gaped. "You've been out for a month and you already know your father. It took me three years to even find mine. Maybe you are smarter than me, kiddo."

"You're mortal," Jade shrugged. "I'm half human. It gives me a slight advantage.

"Half-human?" Jarod repeated, perplexed.

"At least I assume I am," Jade frowned thoughtfully. "I still don't know anything about her."

"That doesn't mean she wasn't human," Jarod replied. "I mean, sure, Raines hasn't acted humanely for years, but that doesn't change his biological make-up. He's not the point though, Jade. I'm sure your biological mother was a decent person."

Jade frowned slightly at him as it occurred to her that she wasn't exactly being precise. Before she had a chance to explain herself, Jarod had an epiphany of his own.

"You don't mean your father is a Gargoyle, do you?"

Elisa eyed him warily, having dealt with one bigoted anti-Gargoyle purist too many. Jade grinned slightly. There was something oddly amusing about Puck as a Gargoyle. She decided not to mention it to anyone, though. Goliath always seemed to be suffering from a migraine the moment her trickster father appeared.

"No Gargoyles in my family tree that I'm aware of," she said instead. "There's another race, the Third Race. My father is one of them. It's a weird, long story."

"What's this Third Race, then?" Jarod asked, his curious mind, as always, insatiated.

"Oberon's Children," Elisa supplied.

"Oberon?" Jarod repeated, incredulously. "As in A _Midsummer's Night Dream_ Oberon? That's just a story. Magic isn't real."

"How else can you explain all the weird things that have happened in Manhattan lately?" Jade thought it was a bit much to throw long-lost friends, Gargoyles and magic on one person at much, but still hadn't been able to hold herself back. "I know you, Jarod. It's probably one of the reasons you came in the first place."

Jarod conceded the point, but remained skeptical. "But magic?"

"You've seen me use telekinesis," Jade replied, torn between proving magic's existence and holding back. "You've seen how fast I heal."

This was too much to reveal at once, so why was she pushing forward? She had always told her Protector everything. He'd still love her. Wouldn't he? Jade couldn't bear it if Jarod thought she was a freak. His opinion meant the world to her.

Jade took a deep breath and tried to push her rambling thoughts to the back of her mind. She couldn't fall apart. Not now.

"I'll show you later," she promised. "Just, for now, go along with it. Okay?"

Jarod smiled gently and agreed.

Jade looked up at Elisa. "Are they up yet, Elisa? I want Jarod to meet my family."

He had come to Manhattan, as Jade had pointed out , to observe the phenomena in Manhattan, but once again the Powers That Be decided to add another piece to the puzzle. So far, he was pleased with the results. He couldn't help but marvel at the young girl who sat in the backseat with him, talking animatedly. She had changed so much from the insecure little girl he had befriended so many years ago.

FLASH!

Jarod sat in his desk, keeping himself busy with quantum physics equations. It was way too easy (almost dull), but it took enough thought to keep his bored mind from wandering. There was a sudden noise in the ventilation system, as if someone was crawling in it. He was about to reply when it suddenly occurred to him that the sounds were too soft to be his fully-grown friend. They were also getting louder, as if moving closer.

Stopping an equation in mid-thought, he curiously ambled over to the ventilation system and quietly opened it. He poked his head inside in time to see a small form suddenly stop in front of him and let out a whimper.

"Hello?" he asked as gently as he could. "Who's there?"

The form moved into the light, revealing a little girl who couldn't be much older than four. She had long blonde hair tied into a ponytail and wore a simple black shirt and pants. Her green eyes showed resignation and despair that would have befitted a soldier who knew that there was no way out. Jarod moved his arms in to take the girl out. Her body tensed, but made no struggle as Jarod took her out. It didn't take a genius to figure out that this child had been severely abused. As Jarod placed her on the ground, the tot stood in an almost militaristic position, with her head downwards. Something she'd obviously been trained to do.

"You don't have to be afraid of me," Jarod said tenderly, kneeling. "I won't hurt you."

The girl refused to budge.

"I didn't mean to bother you, sir," the girl mumbled to the floor. "I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry about," Jarod smiled down at her. "You didn't bother me at all. In fact, I'm happy to have met you."

"If you want me to do something for you, sir," the girl said politely. "You'll have to talk to Dr. Sevarius."

"I just want to talk to you," Jarod replied. "It's your choice if you want to or not."

"And if I don't?" the girl said carefully.

"Then you don't have to," Jarod reassured her. "I'll help you back in and forget I ever met you."

The girl looked at him curiously. "You won't tell on me?"

"I promise."

The girl clearly didn't believe him. "Alright, sir."

"Call me Jarod. What's your name?"

"It."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm referred to as 'it' or 'The Girl'," the child explained.

"You don't have a real name?" Jarod asked in disbelief.

"Of course," the girl replied. "I just told you them. Er, what does 'Jarod' mean anyway?"

"To descend," Jarod replied honestly. "The name's meaning doesn't matter. Names are a way of telling people apart and to give them an identity. For instance, if you yelled "Hey, you, girl!' in a crowd, every girl would turn, thinking you were calling them. If you yelled, 'Jarod' or 'Catherine', only a few people would turn."

"I know what a name is, Jarod," the girl replied. "I'm not important enough for one."

"Of course you are," Jarod insisted. "Would you mind if I did the honors? Of naming you, I mean."

The girl smiled, blushing. "The honor would be all mine."

Jarod stared into her eyes a few minutes, before coming up with the perfect name. "How about Jade?"

"Isn't jade a jewel?"

"Matches your eyes,"

"Jade," the girl repeated, smiling softly. "I like it."

Although the girl now called Jade seemed to be happy, Jarod got the impression that she was just humoring him.

FLASH!

He now watched the girl proudly as she talked endlessly of her new friends. Several of them had odd nicknames. Jarod made a mental note to ask Jade of that later. He was sure that there was another reason for what she was than magic, but Jade was still very much a child. She deserved the chance to believe in Santa Claus and other childhood ideals.

To Jarod's surprise, the car pulled into the parking lot of a building that had a giant castle on top. Jarod gaped. He didn't think it was possible for anyone to be so rich.

Elisa let them out and told Jade that she'd be back later. Jade wasted no time in pulling Jarod into an elevator set to stop at the top floor. After they got out, she dragged him into an office where a tall expressionless man was seated at a desk, filling out paperwork. Jarod recognized him instantly as Owen Burnett, David Xanatos's majordomo. He suddenly remembered the newscasts from a month ago. Jade had been in them. Why hadn't he noticed?

"Hey, Daddy," Jade grinned. "Whatcha working on?"

Jarod absently noted the stone arm and recollected Jade revealing that her father wasn't human. He could understand where she was coming from. He had sometimes wondered how anybody could be so stoic. Seeing the man in person, Jarod noted that there was something otherworldly about him.

"Paperwork for a client," the human in question replied.

"Is it important?" Jade asked.

"Not as important as my daughter," Mr. Burnett smiled. "Who's your friend?"

"Sorry," Jade apologized. "Jarod, this is my father, Owen Burnett. Daddy, this is my protector. The one I told you about that named me."

Owen Burnett got up to shake Jarod's hand. "Jade's mentioned you various times. She . . . also said that you were dead."

"That's what the Centre made me think." Jade grinned. "But he's alive. Alive!"

Both adults laughed slightly at the small girl's antics.

"The Centre?" Burnett asked in confusion.

"That's the name of the lab I was raised in," Jade explained.

"If what my daughter has said is true, then I owe you a great deal," Burnett told Jarod. "More than I could ever repay. I can't thank you enough for the love and support you gave her. For being the first to identify her as a person and teaching her the meaning of family."

"I helped," replied the Pretender modestly. "You're the one who gave her a real family."

The three of them chatted for over an hour. Finally, near sundown, Jade gave her father a rushed good-bye and dragged Jarod up four flights of stairs. The Pretender was huffing and puffing by the end.

"Don't you ever exercise?" Jade asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jade dragged her protector up to the balcony, where there were several gargoyles.

"You dragged be up here just to look at statues?" Now it was Jarod's turn to raise an eyebrow.

Jade and Elisa, who was already up there, exchanged glances.

"Give them room," Jade advised.

Before Jarod could protest, the Gargoyles broke out of their encasements.

"I never get tired of that," Elisa murmured.

"Neither do I," Jade grinned.

"Oh, my," was all Jarod could say.

Jade introduced the Gargoyles. Jade told them of his past.

"And what of you, lad?" the one called Hudson asked. "What's your story?"

Sighing, Jarod relayed his past and how he met Jade.


	3. Explanations

Chapter Three

            "I escaped three years ago," Jarod finished.  "Had I known that Jade was still alive, I would of brought her.  They  . . . I was told that she was dead."

            "No reason to apologize, lad," Hudson said gently.  "You did what you could.  That's all anyone could ask of you."

            "Jade mentioned you a lot," Brooklyn added.  "She speaks very highly of you." 

            "There's one thing I don't understand," Lexington frowned.  "If you thought Jade was dead, who sent her the money and the bear?"

            Jarod frowned as well.  "Money?  What money?"

            "Someone planted well over two hundred dollars in Jade's jacket," Elisa explained.  "And a quote."

            "If you don't want to be forgotten as soon as you are dead and rotten," Jarod quoted, grinning. "Either write things worth the reading or do things worth the writing."

            "That's the one," Hudson chuckled.

            "Then, when I was in the hospital, someone sent me Jar-Bear," Jade continued.

            Concern flashed in Jarod's eyes.  "Hospital?  What happened?"

            "Severius tried to capture me again," Jade replied grimly.  "You remember him?"

            Jarod growled.  Of course he did.  How could he forget the man whose yearly visits gave an innocent child lifelong physical and emotional scars?

            "What exactly is Jar-Bear?" Elisa asked curiously.  "And why is covered in blood?" 

            "Jar-Bar is a gift a friend sent me as a child," Jarod explained.  "Catherine Parker, the wife of the head of the Centre, had a really big heart.  She told me that no kid should go without toys, so she gave me a teddy bear.  I called it Cathy.  It was always a mystery to me how she ended up working at a horrible place like the Centre."

            "Maybe she wasn't all what she seemed," Goliath suggested quietly.

            "She wasn't," Jarod said solemnly.  "She was so much more.  She was killed in an attempt to rescue eight of the Centre children, myself included."

            "Eight?" Angela looked horrified.  "How many children were prisoners there?"

            "It's hard to tell," Jarod replied sadly.  "I couldn't have been more than four when I was stolen from my family.  Kyle, my little brother, was even younger."

            Everyone except Jarod and Jade stared in shock.

            "When I gave it to Jade, it still looked like new, except for the smell of salt from my tears," Jarod continued.

            "The blood was all mine," Jade added softly.  "I also added more tears.  Being a prisoner himself, he wasn't able to comfort me every time I was upset.  So, he gave me Jar-Bear and told me whenever I hugged it, I'd really be receiving a hug from him."

            Everyone was silent for a few minutes, unsure of what to say.  Their thoughts were of sadness and comfort and a little of in between.  It was interrupted when Jarod chuckled softly.  Everyone assembled looked at him started.

            "Angelo," the man in question said, as if that explained everything.

            Jade smiled in understanding, but she was the only one.

            "Angelo's another of the Centre's projects," Jade explained.  "Thanks to a . . . project in electric current, he's an empath.  That means that he can sense what other people are feeling.  He can touch a picture, for example, and know who took it, where that person is, and what he's feeling.  Like the after affects of most pretends, he picks up that person's characteristics for a while."    

             Jarod looked at her in surprise.  "You know about the experiment?"

            Jade nodded grimly.  "When I first met him, I was reluctant in trusting anyone.  You know that mind-reading thing I used to do?  I did it and I saw what happened.  What they did to him . . . it's kind of like shock therapy,  It accelerated the parts of his brain that controlled the empathy and multiplied his talent by tenfold.  At the same time, it pretty much wiped out his memories.  He always refers to himself in the third person.  The worst part is, he was younger than I am now.

            Elisa and the Gargoyles stared in shocked silence.

            'Like me," Jade suddenly grinned, as if trying to change the mood, "he has a hobby of wandering through the vents.  Angelo was so easy to befriend.  He's really nice and in a strange way, wise.  Of course, thanks to the experiment, it was hard to figure if he was in an empathetic mood or just  . . . I dunno, babbling.  That's why I really didn't pay that much attention when he kept insisting I'd see Jarod again."

            Elisa was about to say something, when her cell phone rang.

            "Hello?  Oh, hello, Captain . . . What!  Another one! . . . Mmm-hmm.  Sure.  We'll be right down."

            Elisa hung up.  "The perp we're after just kidnapped another kid.  He kidnaps them before killing them," she explained, momentarily forgetting Jade was in the room.  "This time it's the daughter of a doctor.  Piper Hanson."

            Jade let out a startled gasp.  "Piper?  But I was just talking to her earlier today."

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Forgotten Wanderer:  He won't chow up in this chapter but will later.

A/N  Jade is the only character that belongs to me.  Well, actually, I do own Piper Hanson and her doctor dad.

A/N  Short chapter, I know.  But it's been so long since I've updated.


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